Enriching faith and family

The Rosary

What a blessing that Mary bestowed upon St. Dominic and the Church when she, through the will of God, established the rosary for the benefit of all! I have come to love the rosary more and more over the years – seeing in it the beauty of requesting intercessory prayers from our Mother in Heaven.

I try to say the rosary each weekday morning before our day gets going. Sadly, I don’t say the rosary while kneeling in prayer with the beads flowing through my fingers. Rather, I say them as I go about my morning routine, and I truly hope that Mary, knowing personally how busy moms can be, doesn’t mind. I used to try to say the rosary at the end of the day during my bedtime routine, but I was usually so tired that I rarely got all the way through it.

At first, saying the rosary regularly was a chore. I knew that I should do it, but I had other things on my mind – activities for the day, obligations to fulfill, and… did Riley finish his math homework? Eventually, praying the rosary became a blessing and when I reached the fourth decade, I actually realized that I felt a little melancholy that my time with the Blessed Mother was nearly over.

Sometimes I meditate on the mysteries of the rosary – imagining myself there at the wedding feast of Cana or standing at the foot of the cross. Other times, I pray for the loved ones in my life. I pray one Hail Mary for each person. Other mornings, I focus on those who seriously need prayers – a friend with a sick baby, and loved one with health issues, a stressful situation. And yet other times, I offer the prayers for whoever needs them, perhaps whoever doesn’t have anyone else to pray for them.

I pray that I will pass this growing love of the rosary on to my children. We have prayed the rosary on family trips and decades from time to time. Perhaps if I continue to pray as an example, they will eventually follow. They already have a great love for Mary and I know that with my prayers that can grow and blossom.

I personally didn’t start that love of Mary – the Blessed Mother did that herself. When my oldest daughter was 2 ½ years old, she was looking out the window to our back porch on a rainy day. She was so transfixed, so still, especially for a wiggly two year old that I asked her what she was looking at. She simply said, “Mary – I’m looking at Mary.” I was in awe. We had talked about Mary and she knew he was Jesus’ mommy, but I was so amazed. I didn’t want to interrupt the beauty of the moment, but I quietly asked her, “What does she look like?” Emily just answered back, “She’s beautiful!” Then, a moment or two later, the little one turned and skipped away from the window. I’ve never forgotten the way she was so enraptured by something out the window that I couldn’t see, but I know that Emily had to have seen her.

That image of what my daughter must have seen is in my thoughts as I pray the rosary. And knowing that Mary is so present in my life makes my rosaries all the sweeter.